Seven Days
by NixiPix
Summary: Remus has fallen under the effects of a magical coma. Only his true love can awaken him. Will the other Marauders find this person before it's too late? SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Seven Days  
Fandom: Harry Potter  
Pairing: Sirius/Remus  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters and settings therein are the property of J.K. Rowling.  
Summary: Remus has fallen under the effects of a magical coma. Only his true love can awaken him. Who is this person? Will the other Marauders find them before it is too late?** SLASH.**

**Chapter One:**

Sirius Black stared at the empty chair across from him. Normally, it was filled with one hundred and sixty-five pounds of Remus Lupin, his dormmate and fellow Marauder. Strangely, said Marauder had uncharacteristically chosen to sleep in that morning. Sirius' other friend, James Potter, leaned toward him and murmured, "Classes are starting in twenty minutes. Moony will kill us if we don't wake him up."

"I'll go," Sirius said, finishing off his toast and standing. James made to go with him, but he shook his head. "Prongs, it's fine. Finish eating and we'll meet you outside the Potions room. See you, Peter."

Peter Pettigrew waved absently, his mouth full of eggs. Sirius smiled a bit in his direction before leaving the Great Hall. On the way up to Gryffindor Tower, an ominous feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, but he just waved it off, blaming the blueberry syrup from breakfast.

"Faerie Lights," he said as he stopped in front of the portrait guarding the Tower. The Fat Lady in the painting blushed and waved him inside. There were a couple first years gathering their things by the fire, but other than that, the Common Room was empty.

Sirius grinned at one of the younger girls, who sighed wistfully as she watched him walk up the stairs leading to the boy's dormitories. He paused in front of the door marked 'Seventh Years' to listen for any sign that Remus was awake. It was silent, and the ominous feeling was growing stronger. Pushing the door open, Sirius called out, "Moony, are you awake?"

Nothing. The curtains around Remus' bed were shut tight. Thinking there might be a silencing charm on them, Sirius walked over and pulled them open. "Remus," he said. "Classes start in ten minutes."

Again, nothing. It was then that Sirius noticed how pale his friend was, as well as the beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. He leaned down and shook Remus' arm. He didn't stir.

"Remus," Sirius said again, getting more worried by the second. "Moony. Wake up. Please, wake up?" Nothing. "Oh, Merlin." He shook him again. "Remus. Remus, you HAVE to wake up." After still getting no response from the sleeping lycanthrope, Sirius was panicking. He ran out of the room and down the stairs, hoping there were still students in the Common Room.

"Quick," he yelled to the lone first year, who jumped. "Go get McGonagall. It's an emergency." When all they did was stare at him, he raised his voice. "Are you deaf? NOW!"

That was all it took to send the poor boy running. As he waited for the arrival of his Head of House, Sirius paced the floor in front of the stairs. It was, at the most, ten minutes before the professor arrived, but to Sirius it felt like days.

"Mister Black, what seems to be the problem?" The stern woman said, no doubt thinking this was another of his infamous pranks.

"It's Remus, Professor," Sirius said breathlessly. "He wouldn't wake up and he's pale and sweating . . . I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Where is he?"

"Still in bed. I wasn't sure if I should take him to Madam Pompfrey or not." Sirius led McGonagall up the stairs to the dorm, not bothering to clean up beforehand or hide any of the dungbombs. All that was trivial compared to Remus.

"Mister Lupin," McGonagall said softly, shaking his arm in the same manner that Sirius did. "Remus. You need to wake up. This isn't funny." At receiving no response, she pursed her lips so tight that they were practically invisible. Pulling out her wand, she directed her next statement at Sirius. "I think you'd better wait outside, Mister Black. This will only take a minute."

"Why?" Sirius asked. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Outside, Black. Now."

Sirius did as she asked without comment. Though it was obvious that he wasn't happy about it. Once again, he paced as he waited for McGonagall. After fifteen minutes, Professor McGonagall poked her head out of the door. Sirius opened his mouth to ask her a question, but she held up her hand. "I need you to fetch Professor Dumbledore. The password is-"

"Acid Pops, I know," Sirius said, before racing down the stairs. It was a long way to the Headmaster's office, but he ran the entire way. He shouted the password to the gargoyle, and only stopped to breathe once he was on the revolving staircase. Knocking quickly on the door, he pushed it open before Dumbledore could answer. "Headmaster, Professor McGonagall needs you in Gryffindor Tower. Something's wrong with Remus."

Dumbledore stood. "Lead the way."

That was all Sirius needed to hear before he took off running again. Occasionally, he would look back to see if Dumbledore was still behind him, but he needn't have worried. When he got to the Tower, the Fat Lady opened the portrait as he said the password, and he almost ran into McGonagall, who was standing directly on the other side.

"Albus, it seems that Mister Lupin is in a coma. More than likely due to his, ahem, condition. His seventeenth birthday is in exactly one week, as is the-"

"Full moon," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Floo Poppy and let her know that we will be bringing him in. Also, fetch Messrs. Potter and Pettigrew. They, along with Sirius, here, will be more help to Remus than we could be."

McGonagall looked as if she wanted to argue, but did as Dumbledore asked. As soon as she was gone, Dumbledore turned to Sirius, whose mouth was opened in shock. He patted him on the shoulder. "I will explain everything in due time. At the moment, I will require your assistance with moving him to the Hospital Wing."

Sirius nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. The two made their way up to the dorm and Sirius grabbed Remus' trunk when Dumbledore told him to. The Headmaster then conjured a stretcher and levitated Remus on top of it. Sirius felt sick when he saw Remus' arm dangling over the side. He looked like a corpse. It wasn't a comforting thought, to say the least.

Later, in the Hospital Wing, with James and Peter on either side of him, ready to catch him if he passed out, he listened as Dumbledore explained the situation to the three of them.

"Remus is in a magical coma," the old wizard said. "Every werewolf, when their birthday lies on the same day as a full moon, is expected to have bonded with their mate. They have seven days before the moon to bond, or they will die when they transform."

Breathing seemed impossible for Sirius. James was the first to speak. "Don't werewolves bond by, er, having sex, sir?"

"Not in all cases. There is a ritual that can be performed. Some choose to do this in order for family and friends to be present during the ceremony."

"But," Sirius said, finding his voice at last, "That seems kind of unfair, given the state that Moony's in. What if he doesn't like the person he's bonded to?"

Dumbledore smiled. "The ritual can only be performed between the werewolf and his or her true love. The bond is forfeit otherwise."

"How do we know who Remus' true love is, though?" Peter asked, his voice low and worried. "It's not as if we can go around asking everybody."

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "That would cause too many questions. But it is my understanding that Remus kept journals." The three Gryffindors winced at the past tense. "If you can find out any detail, such as if he mentions someone often, or his sexual orientation, it might make things easier. Pay close attention to any dreams he may have written down, also. The subconscious is more in tune with the heart than anything."

And on that note, he turned and walked out, leaving the three of them to their thoughts. They sat in silence, which was broken only when the doors burst open to reveal Lily Evans, James' girlfriend, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"McGonagall told me what happened," she said, walking up and throwing her arms around her boyfriend. She sobbed into his shoulder, soaking his shirt. When she pulled away, she wiped at her eyes. "She wouldn't give me details, but said that Remus was in a coma. Details," she said again. "When is he going to wake up?"

"Unless he wakes up within the next week, he's going to die," James said softly, and Lily's eyes widened.

"What? Why? Is it because of the full moon?" The Marauders looked at her in shock. "Yes, I know. I've known for two years," she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, it explains everything now. Have you found his true love yet?"

"No," Sirius said, overcoming his shock. "But we're not going to let him die. We need to look at his journals. Let's go."

He didn't wait for them to follow before going into the main room of the Hospital. Remus' trunk was in front of his bed, and Sirius opened it, making sure not to upset anything. He made a valiant effort to keep his eyes trained on the contents of the trunk rather than its owner.

"Aha!" he cried, pulling a stack of books out and placing them on the bed beside Remus'. It wasn't until he opened one that he realized another obstacle. "What the hell?"

"I know what that is," Lily whispered in awe. "It's Theban. The Wiccan alphabet. But I had no idea that Remus knew it."

"You can translate it, right?" Peter asked, hopefully.

Lily shook her head. "I've only read about it. It could take days to translate all of this."

"Are you or are you not a witch?" Sirius asked impatiently. "Just cast a translation charm."

Again, Lily shook her head. "It's not that simple. See this glyph here," she pointed to a foreign mark on the front of each of the journals, "It's a protection charm. What looks to be a very old one. It keeps anyone besides the owner from translating it with magic. We're going to have to do this the hard way."

James ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell. We don't have much time."

"One week," Sirius agreed. "I, for one, don't plan to let him down." He sat down in the chair beside Remus' bed. "Lily, can you get as many books from the library you can on this alphabet? We'll need them."

"Of course," she said, glancing from Sirius to the unconscious boy in the bed. "James, can you help me?"

James nodded and the two left for the library. "It'll be all right, Moony," Sirius murmured, leaning forward in the chair. He didn't notice Peter leave to join James and Lily. "It has to be. Who else will help us with our homework?" he joked half-heartedly.

He picked up one of the journals and leafed through it, sighing. "Why couldn't you have written these in French, eh? Or Italian? Something I was fluent in? No. You had to pick some weird language that no one knows. Not even Lily. Bloody show-off." He sighed again. "We'll figure it out, though, Remus. You'll be awake in no time. And with a mate, to boot."

As he waited for his friends to come back, Sirius tried to ignore the overwhelming sense of jealousy that overcame him at the thought of someone bonding with Remus.

**A/N: I would have posted this two days ago, but I was distracted by the holidays. LoL. This story is _almost_ complete. I have to finish the final chapter, but the whole thing should be up by the end of the week. Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Seven Days  
Fandom: Harry Potter  
Pairing: Sirius/Remus  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters and settings therein are the property of J.K. Rowling.  
Summary: Remus has fallen under the effects of a magical coma. Only his true love can awaken him. Who is this person? Will the other Marauders find them before it is too late?

**Chapter Two:**

"It's been three days," James said, yawning widely. None of them were getting much sleep. They barely left the Hospital Wing except to go back to the library. "Three days and not one fucking clue."

"Language, James," Lily said absently, her eyes moving from the journal in front of her to the large tome to her right. "And that's not entirely true. I've almost gotten this entry translated, and from the looks of things, it's a dream." She flushed. "A rather steamy one at that."

James grinned. "So who's our little lycan got his eyes on, eh? That brunette from Ravenclaw?"

Sirius felt another pang of jealousy. It had been happening more often as they worked. He didn't understand it. He didn't fancy Remus. At least . . . he didn't think he did. "Hey, Prongs, mate. Why don't you let Lily figure that one out and you keep working on your journal?"

"What's with you, Sirius? You've been so moody these last few days," Lily said. "Part of it I can understand, but..." Her eyes widened slightly. "You're jealous." He shook his head. "Don't even try that, Black. You are. You can't stand the thought of someone else being with Remus."

James and Peter were staring at the two of them, their eyes moving back and forth, waiting for Sirius' response. It was like a tennis match, only with words instead of a little yellow ball.

Sirius looked down at his hands, his thoughts racing. "So what," he muttered. "It's not like there's anything I can do about it. He has to bond with his true love. Otherwise it's forfeit, remember?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, I remember quite well, thank you. But did you ever think that maybe you're it? That you can save him?"

"I'm trying to save him," Sirius half-shouted, looking up, angry. "By translating these sodding journals! Besides," he sighed, "There's no way that Moony is my true love."

"Why not, Pads?" Peter asked softly. "You've always been the one that worried about him the most."

"And," James added, "You actually stay awake in class and take his notes while he's in here every month."

Sirius shook his head. "Just because I love him, doesn't mean that he feels the same. Or that the bond would work if we tried."

"Fine. Forget we said anything," Lily said, glaring at him for a second before returning to her work. Sirius shook his head again and did the same.

It was about half an hour later that James cried out in triumph. The other three turned to look at him, hope gleaming in their eyes. "Listen to this:

_December 22, 1975  
__It's strange how I seem to notice the little things  
__about him. The way that one strand of hair falls  
__into his face. And, when it does, he chews on it  
__slightly before pushing it back behind his ear.  
__Or how he bites his nails when he's nervous.  
__I especially love his eyes, though. The way  
__they turn a dark silver when he's feeling  
__particularly mischievous; dark and murky  
__when he's angry; they are so dynamic and,  
__unlike the rest of his horrid family, they show  
__every emotion. _

_I shouldn't even be thinking about this. He's  
__my best friend. My _male_ best friend. As if I'm  
__not abnormal enough being what I am. Now I  
__have to add pouf to the list, too. Let's just hope  
__I can pretend everything is fine.  
__-RJL_

Everyone was silent. Lily had a goofy smile on her face, and James and Peter were staring at Sirius, who was wide-eyed with disbelief. "No," he mumbled, shaking his head. "That's not possible."

"Oh, why not?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes in a glare. "Just because you're afraid, it doesn't mean that it's not true."

"I'm not afraid."

"Yeah, you are, mate," James said softly. "You've always been afraid of happiness. True happiness, I mean. Not the kind you get from pranking."

Sirius was still shaking his head. He stood up and walked quickly out of the Hospital Wing, before taking off at a run for the Entrance Hall. He ignored everyone, only focusing on getting out. And fast. He pushed the large oak doors open and headed for the lake. He stopped at the shore and sat down, trying to catch his breath. His thoughts raced. Moony fancied him. Hell, probably loved him.

But were they meant to be together? That was the question that kept coming up. Some loves never compared to the real thing. What if this was just a passing thing? Would Remus still love him in a year? Ten? Fifty? Sirius knew he would always feel the same, but he couldn't know for sure about his friend. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair and sighed. He didn't hear the footsteps come up behind him.

"Sirius. You have to get back there," James said, sitting down. "For Remus."

Sirius growled low in his throat, reminding James of his animagus form. "I'm sick and fucking tired of everyone telling me what I need to do. Don't you think I want him to wake up? To get better?"

"From the way you're acting, I'm not so sure," James retorted. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You know you can fix this, yet you refuse to. Why?"

"Who's to say that Remus will feel the same forever? That he won't find someone else that will make him happier?"

"The fact that I've seen the way he looks at you," James said, his glare softening. "When Moony chooses something, he doesn't give it up without a fight."

A small smile lifted the corners of Sirius' mouth. But it was gone so fast that James was sure he imagined it. "He doesn't look at me any different than you do."

"That's a crock and you know it."

Sirius sighed and stood. "Fine. I'll go back. We'll try the ritual. But if it doesn't work, I'm out of options."

"So that's it," James said, standing as well. "If it doesn't work you'll just leave him to die?"

"Forget it." Sirius turned on his heel and ran back to the castle. He took his time on the way to the Hospital Wing, letting his thoughts swirl in his head until all he saw was Remus. A life with him. Loving him. Bonding with him. As he opened the doors to the main room, he asked, "How long will the bonding take?"

Lily looked up and smiled widely at him. "All of two hours. But," her smile faded, "The potion that you both need to drink will take four days to brew. The final ingredient must be added on the morning of a full moon." At Sirius' horrified look, she added quickly, "As long as we get everything done by the time the moon rises, he should be fine."

Sirius let out the air in his lungs with a long 'whoosh'. "That's a big risk."

"Yes," Peter agreed, "But it will be worth it. We promise."

"We can only hope, Pete," James said, coming into the room. "We can only hope."

**A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone that reviewed! You guys rock my socks off! The next chapter will be the final one, so stay tuned! .:huggles:.**

**Also, check the homepage link in my profile. If you have a LiveJournal, you can check there for updates, deleted/NC-17 scenes, and the like. Hint hint. **


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Seven Days  
Fandom: Harry Potter  
Pairing: Sirius/Remus  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters and settings therein are the property of J.K. Rowling.  
Summary: Remus has fallen under the effects of a magical coma. Only his true love can awaken him. Who is this person? Will the other Marauders find them before it is too late?

**Chapter Three:**

Lily payed no attention to the bickering boys around her as she prepared the ritual potion. The last ingredient was to be added in the morning, and the cauldron was to be left on a low flame until then. She sighed as she poured a vial of unicorn hairs into the mixture. Everything was set. And she now had the time to settle the problems going on around her.

"Boys," she said loudly, rubbing her temples. James and Sirius turned to look at her. "What is the problem?"

Sirius spoke up first. "Antler Boy, here, is trying to make me wear white robes for the ceremony."

"I think we should keep it somewhat traditional," James retorted, and Sirius stuck his tongue out.

"Very mature, dog breath."

"Oh, go get run over by a car."

"Enough!" Lily shouted, ready to pull her hair out. "Sirius, why don't you wear those silver robes with the black trim that you wore to Petunia's wedding last summer?"

"I only wore those to see your horse of a sister go bonkers." Sirius was still pouting. "I have no desire to wear them again."

"Remus said you looked rather dashing in them," Lily said, raising an eyebrow. When Sirius bit his lip, she knew she had him. "Great. And we can put Remus in the gold ones with red trim. No more arguments. Do I make myself clear?"

James mumbled something under his breath that made Sirius snort. Lily glared. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

"He said, 'Yes, Mum'," Sirius replied, grinning. "I'll just go and get those robes, then. See you later, Prongs."

"Traitor," James muttered, bracing himself for Lily's explosion.

Sirius waited just outside the door, only leaving when Lily's shrill voice could be heard through the thick mahogany. The robes he was to wear were in his trunk, though he wasn't sure why he brought them to school with him. _To impress Moony, perhaps?_ a small voice whispered in the back of his head. He ignored it, just thankful that he had them. Otherwise, he'd have nothing to wear to his . . . wedding? That was how he referred to it in his head, at least. Bonding Ceremony didn't seem quite appropriate.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and, not noticing where he was going, collided with someone on the dormitory stairs, causing him to lose his balance. He fell backward, all the way down to the Common Room. His head hit the last step at the wrong angle, and he passed out.

What seemed like a second later, he woke up to find James and Peter standing over him, wide-eyed and pale. "Padfoot," James breathed, his body sagging with relief, "Thank Merlin you're all right! We had been worried that you wouldn't wake up in time for the ritual."

It seemed strange to Sirius that the wedding was all James could think about. His head felt like it was being torn in half, and his arm was throbbing in time with his pulse. "What happened?"

"You fell down three flights of stairs, mate," Peter's low voice murmured on his right. "You hit your head on one of the steps and have been unconscious for the better part of six hours."

"Six hours!" Sirius yelled, then regretted it as Madam Pompfrey came in and started shoving potions down his throat. Once she was gone, and he had gotten the rotten taste out of his mouth, he repeated himself. "Six hours? What time is it?"

James looked at his watch. "Three in the morning. Lily's in the private room finishing the potion. If you're up to it..." he trailed off, but Sirius knew what he meant. And as he looked down at himself, he realized he was already dressed for the occasion.

"Let's get this over with," he said, looking over at the pale boy in the bed next to him. James nodded and went to go get Lily. She came in with two vials in her hand, and passed one to Sirius. The other, she handed to James who took a seat beside Remus.

"I need you to take Remus' hand in your own, Sirius," Lily said, business-like. Sirius did so, and the redhead took out her wand. Placing it on their joined hands, she began to mutter an incantation. A thin rope of white light curved around their hands, and Sirius gasped at the sensation. As Lily chanted, the rope curled itself into a knot.

"Whoa," James whispered, and Peter shushed him.

"Sirius Artemus Black, are you participating in this bond of your own free will?"

"I am," he replied, squeezing Remus' hand lightly. Lily smiled and nodded her head. He lifted the vial to his lips and drank slowly. She nodded to James, who opened Remus' mouth and carefully poured the potion inside. More white light, so blinding that everyone had to shield their eyes, surrounded the entire room, then slowly centered itself around the two boys.

Sirius sat up, ignoring the pain from his fall, and placed a gentle kiss on Remus' lips. The others waited with bated breath for the werewolf's eyes to open. Five minutes passed, and nothing. Tears burned at the corners of Sirius' eyes, and he turned away.

After a moment, Lily gasped. Sirius looked at her, a lone tear falling down his cheek, then at Remus, whose eyes were slowly opening.

"Moony?" Sirius whispered, moving to sit beside him. Remus blinked once, his mind still hazy from sleep.

"Sirius? What's going on?"

"Explanations later," was all he said before kissing his mate. Remus froze for a second before his eyes drifted shut and he kissed Sirius back. He wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck, who pulled away with a hiss. At Remus' questioning look, he said, "Fell down the stairs."

Remus snorted. "I'm not surprised."

James cleared his throat, getting the two boys' attention. Remus blushed and tried to stutter out an apology. "Don't worry about it," James said. "I'm just glad you're awake. Happy birthday, by the way."

"But, Prongs, my birthday's not for another..." Comprehension dawned. "Oh, dear. How am I still alive, then?"

"Let's just say that I'm your mate in a different sense, now," Sirius answered, grinning handsomely. Remus opened his mouth to say something, but Sirius stopped him. "Don't even think about apologizing. I did this of my own free will, and I won't have you rain on my parade."

"But," Remus started, then sighed. "I just don't understand."

"That's a first," Peter laughed.

Sirius scooted closer to Remus on the bed. "Let me put this is a way that you _will_ understand." His grin widened. "I love you, and you're stuck with me for the rest of your life."

"Sirius," Lily said, a warning tone in her voice.

Remus smiled. "It's okay, Lily. I think I can handle it."

"Handle him?" Lily retorted, pointing to the young man on the bed, who was currently making circles on Remus' hand, "Never."

Remus just shook his head fondly and leaned further into his mate's embrace. Happy, truly happy, for once in his life.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this. I finished it a little sooner than I thought. I think I might write a sequel set in the OotP era where Harry finds out about it, but I'm not sure. It will be AU, only because I still haven't come to grips with certain decisions made by one Jo Rowling. And thank you to everyone that reviewed. You guys have no idea how much it meant to me!**

**A/N 2: Ack! So sorry it took me this long to update! I seriously planned on getting this up the second it was finished but AOL cancelled my account! Luckily, I've gotten everything straightened out, so there won't be anymore problems.**


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